MEET
MARGARET
EARLY YEARS
Margaret is a first-generation Californian. Her parents came to the central valley when they were young. Her mother was from Oklahoma and her father from Arkansas. She was born in Selma, California and grew up in the communities of San Joaquin and Caruthers.
EDUCATION
Margaret is a graduate of Caruthers High School.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Fresno Pacific University.
She received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from National University. She is a graduate of California POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) Supervisory Leadership Institute.
She is also a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police coordinated through Boston University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.​
LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER
Margaret started her career in law enforcement in January of 1980, when she was hired as the first female police officer in the city of Kerman.
In 1983, she became a deputy sheriff for Fresno County. In 1986 she became the first female canine handler for the Sheriff’s Office. She later became the first female Sergeant to supervise field patrol units, first female to attain the rank of Sheriff’s Lieutenant, first female Captain, first female Assistant Sheriff and became the first elected female Sheriff of Fresno County which was established in 1856. She served as Sheriff for 16 years and retired in 2023 after a 42-year law enforcement career.
FAMILY
​Margaret is married to her husband, Gary Mims. They have two adult children, Randal and Jacklyn, four grandchildren, Lynzy, Erin, Nolan, and Hank and five great-grandchildren, Keatyn, Huntley, Oaks, Roxy and Davani. As a result of her diagnosis with malignant breast cancer and her successful treatment, Sheriff Mims has been an outspoken advocate for the importance of early detection.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
Sheriff Mims has served on many committees and boards throughout the County: A past member of the Cultural Arts Rotary Club Served on the Board of Directors of the Marjaree Mason Center, a local women’s shelter. Served as a member of the Fresno County Rape Counseling Service Board of Directors. She is a lifetime member of the California State Sheriffs’ Association.
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Community Service Awards and Recognitions
February 2005 - Highlighted on KFSN, Channel 30 (ABC) Person of the Week
March 2007 - Recognized as the 31st Assembly District Woman of the Year
2008 - Recognized as one of Business Street Online ‘Influential Women 100’ of Fresno
July 2010 - Fresno City College Centennial Alumna one of their ‘100 Stars for 100 Years’
June 2011 - Reedley City College 2011 Distinguished Alumnus
June 2011 - Girls Scouts ‘Women Inspiring Girls’ Award
Nov 2012 - Jenny Eller Memorial Volunteer Donor Recruiter Award from Central Calif. Blood Center
2014 - Special Olympics Award of Excellence
May 2016 - National University Distinguished Alumni
May 2016 - Fresno City College Distinguished Alumna Award
2017 - Fresno Farm Bureau Friends of Family Farm Award
March 2018 - Common Threads award from the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation
March 2018 - Women Rock Cali Award – San Diego
Dec 2018 - Christian Businesswomen’s Connection Woman of the Year
March 2019 - Daughters of the American Revolution Women in History Award
2022 - Lifetime of Service Award from the Fresno County Farm Bureau and Fresno Chamber of Commerce
Professional Awards
1998 - Recipient of the Fresno Exchange Club ’Top Cop’ award
1999 - Chosen as one of Fresno County’s Top Ten Business/Professional Women of the Year
2001 - Recipient of a ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award’ from the National Center for Women in Policing.
2007 & 2008 - Selected as Best Local Female Elected Official by Fresno Magazine
Feb 2009 - Received an Award of Heroism and Lifesaving by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, City of Fresno, & Fresno County Council of Governments
Feb 2010 - California Rifle and Pistol Association Peace Officer of the Year for the State of California
Sept 2011 - Exemplary Partnership award from the Dept. of Homeland Security
Nov 2011 - Fresno Leading Young Professionals LEAD Award
Nov 2019 - Calif. Narcotics Officers’ Association John F. “Jack” Kerrigan President’s Award
2021 - Fresno Pacific University will begin annually presenting a graduate with the ‘Sheriff Margaret Mims Award for Outstanding Criminology Student’
